The Football Forecast

Man City may have to pay £70m for star defender

Inter Milan have told Manchester City that if they want their top prospect, they may have to splash out up to £70 million, with the price rising depending on when Man City decide to offer.

The player in question is Milan Skriniar. The 23-year-old has performed at levels above any expectations the Italian club had of him and he has now attracted the attention of the big teams. Manchester City are the favourites to sign the defender, but Inter won’t be letting him go that easily. After spending over £50 million on French centre-back Aymeric Laporte, City may have to spend another £70 million if they want to add Skriniar to their back line.

Skriniar started his professional career at MSK Zilina, where he scored 12 goals in 77 appearances for the club. His impressive performances for the Slovak side earned him a transfer to Serie A outfit Sampdoria. He spent one season at Sampdoria, making 38 appearances. Inter Milan were quick to snap up the youngster, signing him in the summer of 2017 on a five-year contract. So far, Skriniar has played every minute of every game for the Italian side, scoring four goals. He has also represented Slovakia 14 times since 2016. He can play both in the heart of defence but also as a holding midfielder.

It was rumoured that Inter had already rejected a bid of £57 million for Skriniar, and with this in mind, it is no surprise that they have priced the defender so highly. Inter are hoping to sign Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij after it was confirmed last week that de Vrij would be leaving Lazio in the summer. The club believe that de Vrij and Skriniar could form a solid defensive partnership and such a duo could help Inter challenge for the Serie A title next season.